Media Kit
Christie Lowrance
Christie Palmer Lowrance is the author of Nature’s Ambassador: The Legacy of Thornton W. Burgess and The Last Heath Hen. She has written for numerous
newspapers, magazines, and travel books. Ms. Lowrance has a B.A. from Hobart & William Smith Colleges and an M.A. from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and has taught writing at UMass Dartmouth and Cape Cod Community College. She lives in Sandwich, MA
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About The Last Heath Hen
The story of the last Heath Hen, named Booming Ben by the people of Martha’s Vineyard, is important for many reasons. Heath Hens, which are related to Prairie Chickens, once ranged from Maine to Virginia before they were officially declared extinct less than 100 years ago. Written for children and adults, this beautifully illustrated book offers the true account of a species of wild bird with extraordinary behaviors that vanished forever, despite the efforts to save it, now considered among the first species conservation projects worldwide. The Last Heath Hen is based on first-person accounts by two people who held the Last Heath Hen before banding and releasing it.
According to a U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife official, this may be the only instance in North America of documentation in the wild of the last individual of its kind. Readers of this book can better understand how complicated and essential wildlife conservation is. Blank pages in the back invite readers to record their own experience of nature.
About Nature's Ambassador
The Legacy of Thornton W. Burgess
For over 100 years, the animal books and stories of beloved children’s author Thornton W. Burgess have delighted millions of children and their parents; more than of half his seventy books remain in print today. However, there was much more to Burgess, than children’s books: he was a dedicated naturalist who was honored by prestigious scientific institutions for his advocacy of wildlife and conservation practices that resonate today. His books, syndicated columns, and radio programs both entertained and educated children, introducing them to wildlife habitat, ecological structure and environmental pollution. Some books became the basis of Fables of the Green Forest, an internationally popular children’s 1970s television cartoon.
Nature’s Ambassador explores Burgess’s life and legacy, from his Cape Cod childhood, through his career and legacy. With engaging text and historical pictures, this 320-page beautifully illustrated biography will be a valuable addition to collections of historians, environmentalists, educators, librarians,
and parents.